Water, sewers stuck in limbo

Control of a sanitary district that provides water and sewer service to hundreds of Campton Hills residents appears to be in limbo.

The Wasco Sanitary District currently is an autonomous taxing body that serves about 1,000 customers in seven subdivisions and business areas within the village.

Under municipal law, the newly incorporated village of Campton Hills will take over in November because the taxing district now lies entirely inside a municipality.

But the transition could be stymied if at least one of two residential groups successfully disconnects, or if residents go to referendum in the next election and vote to reclaim their independence.

Neither the village nor the district would comment on whether they plan to fight for control of the supply. But insiders indicate they won't be surprised if the situation turns into a tug of war.

"We'll just have to wait and see what the outcome will be," said Barb Wojnicki, a Kane County Board member who represents Campton Hills and the surrounding area. "I think the answer is they all need to meet and work together. Over time, they're going to have to."

Founded in 1971, the sanitary district is a multimillion-dollar operation that provides hundreds of thousands of gallons of potable water a day to the Fox Mill, Fox Creek, Norton Farm, Prairie Lakes, Campton Trails and Campton Crossings neighborhoods, as well as the downtown Wasco business area.

It draws on aquifers more than 1,000 feet underground for the potable supply and also processes about 6 million gallons of wastewater a month, according to utility operator Chuck Foulkes.

The district lies wholly in Campton Hills' borders, but does not serve the entire area.

For now, an elected, three-person board of directors oversees Wasco Sanitary District operations, levies taxes and sets water rates -- duties that could soon shift to Campton Hills.

Attorneys for the both the village and the district say the sanitary service would change hands only if it remains entirely within the new municipality. However, should disconnect efforts succeed, the district would no longer be entirely within the village, and would therefore remain on its own. The petitioners who want out of the village are scheduled to be back in court next month.

Campton Hills Village President Patsy Smith declined to comment.

Raul Brizuela, president of the sanitary district board, would say only that the district is in good hands and has little -- if any -- room for expansion. "All we want to do is serve our constituents in the best interest of our district," Brizuela said.